Between baby dramas, job frustrations and a desperate homeopath trying to get her kicks with Rob, there hasn’t been much time for our favorite couple of chaos to plan their wedding. Although Rob has repeatedly pointed out that his marrying Sharon isn’t just about “doing the honorable thing,” I never really got the sense that they were genuinely into the idea of an actual wedding and all the hoopla that goes with it. Judging by their relationship so far, it wouldn’t have seemed at all odd if they had simply settled on the golden showered ring on Sharon’s finger as officially binding and called it a day or, in this case, a wedding.
Now that everything has calmed down a bit though, Sharon and Rob finally have the head-space to think about what would constitute their ideal wedding. As they stroll around a market, laughing at a young couple having a heated argument, there seems to be a familiarity between them I’d never picked up on before. They’ve always been pretty relaxed around each other, but something is shifting in a pretty big way—and no, I’m not just talking about now very apparent baby bump.
Whenever we get to see Sharon with her pupils, she comes across as the type of teacher we all feared back in school. She doesn’t really smile for the first two months of the school year, because “if they smell weakness, it’s just like putting chum in the water for sharks.” It’s kind of hard to see past her smart-ass remarks and imagine her as a warm, nurturing motherly type. So when she gets home from school, flops down on the couch and tells Rob about how a new student in her class (whom she basically describes as the classic nerd) really makes her want to smile, it’s terribly endearing.
However, she does continue to act incredibly selfish, refusing to meet Rob half way when he loses his job and brings up the idea of Sharon coming back to Boston with him. It’s hard not to let the word “bitch” slip when it comes to her reasoning as to why she doesn’t want to move back with him, but, even so, you’d do it in a humorous way. You’ve got to respect her. She knows what she wants and she’s not afraid to share her thoughts in her extremely tactless, but somehow charming, manner. And yet, through her tough exterior, I can now finally feel a glimmer of softness and, dare I say, compassion towards Rob. Even if she always has to go and spoil a nice moment by saying something brash.
Rob is forced to agree to an interview his friend David sets up for him with the chemical company responsible for the heart drug Tevantrix—the one that ended up killing a bunch of people earlier on in the year. Fortunately that is all Rob agrees to; he gladly dismisses David’s offer to a treat of prostate massaging. Sharon doesn’t seem too preoccupied with Rob’s job situation at the moment. For a split second there, she’s actually getting all bridal about things—who to invite, what kind of ceremony to have, etc.
That is, until she calls Rob’s mother. There’s Sharon, actually trying to make a nice gesture by inviting her to the ceremony, and she’s goes and shits all over it. First, by showing no interest in coming and using her dogs as an excuse; second by doing the dirty and opening Rob’s ex-files. Turns out, Rob’s ex-girlfriend Betsy had a miscarriage when they were together. That’s enough information to get Sharon cursing at her phone: